Weed-cutter.



M. .PRUYN.

WEED CUTTER. I APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21, 1909.

949,597., Patented Feb. 15, 1910.

2 SHEETS-BHIIET 1.

M. BRUYN. WEED O'UTTER. APPLIGATION FILED JUNE 21, 1909.

Patented Feb. 15,1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

MARGELLUS PRUYN, OF

FLORIN, CALIFORNIA.

WEED-CUTTER.

Application filed June 21, 1909.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 15, 1910.

Serial No. 503,545.

To all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARcELLUs PRUYN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Florin, in the county of Sacramento and State of California,have invented new and useful Improvements in Veed-Cutters, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to an implement which is especially designed forcutting weeds and like purposes.

It consists of a mechanism whereby the cutting teeth or blades may beexpanded or contracted while the implement is in motion so as toaccommodate the cut to wide or narrow spaces between trees or plants.

My invention comprises also details of construction which will be morefully explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in whichFigure 1 is a side elevation. Fig. 2 is a plan view.

As shown in the drawings, A is a main central bar or frame, having abearing-wheel 2 at the front, journaled and turnable in a yoke 3, andthis yoke is widened vertically at the rear end having holes made in itas at 1, so that by means of a bolt as at 5 the position of the wheelmay be changed to vary the out which the apparatus will make.

6 shows a means for attaching the team by which the device is to bepulled.

7 are handles such as are usually employed for implements of thisdescription.

To the front portion of the beam A is secured the double shovel plow 8,which may be adjustably fixed to the beam by means of the standard,which is bent as shown at 9, and has holes made in the portion extendingapproximately parallel with the beam A so that by means of a bolt 10,the position of this forward standard and its double shovel plow may bechanged to vary the cut in unison with the changes that may be made inthe position of the bearing-wheel.

Mounted upon the rear portion of the bar A is a slidable carriage 11,which may have antifriction rollers as points of contact. This carriageis connected by a link 12 with a hand lever 13, which extends upwardlyto a point within convenient reach of the driver.

By means of a segment rack 14:, and a spring pawl 15, controlled by theusual grip lever 16, it will be seen that this carriage may be movedforward or back and retained at any desired point with reference to themain beam.

The cutting blades or shoes 17 may be of any suitable or desired shape,and the inner ends are upturned and connected to arms or bearers 18, asclearly shown at 19. These arms are fulcrumed at their forward ends uponvertical pivot pins 20, and the rear ends of these arms diverge behindthe points of attachment of the cutter blades, as shown at 18*. d

21 are rollers disposed in pairs upon the outer ends of the bar orcarriage 11, and the divergent ends 18 of the levers extend betweenthese rollers.

22 is a yoke fixed to the beam A having two arms extending downwardly.The rear arm forms a support for the bearings 20 of the levers 18; thefront arm forms a support for a shield 23, which shield is convergenttoward the front, and serves to prevent earth and weeds from becomingentangled with the mechanism at the rear.

The operation of the device will then be as follows: The cutters orblades 17 are set to any desired width between their outer ends, bymeans of the bar 11 and the lever 13, and held in the adjusted positionby the pawl and segment before described. The team being started, thefront and rear cutters will enter the ground, and as here used they areof such form as to shear off the roots of the weeds, allowing thematerial thus cut to fall behind the cutters as the apparatus proceeds.If at any point the distance between the rows in which the ma chine istraveling increases, it is only necessary to move the lever so as tocause the bar or carriage 11 to move forward upon the beam A. Thismovement causes the rollers 21 to slide along the divergent lever arms18 thus forcing them apart, and at the same time correspondinglyseparating the blades or cutters and spreading them, so that they makean increased cut. If a narrow place is reached, where it is desirable tocontract the apparatus, the lever 13 is moved in the opposite direction,and the arms 18 will be drawn in with a corresponding narrowing of thecut to be made. In this manner I provide an extemely flexible andreadily operated apparatus.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is- 1. In a weed and like cutter, a main beam, upper andlower spaced arms extending substantially parallel with the length orthe beam and arranged upon each side of said beam, vertical pins carriedby the beam and upon which the forward ends of said arms are pivotallymounted, the rear ends of said arms being divergent and separabletransversely, cutter blades having vertical shanks attached to thepivoted arms and horizontally divergent cutting portions, a transversebar or carriage slidable upon the main beam, antit'riction guidesdisposed in pairs upon each end of said carriage, between which guidesthe divergent ends of the pivoted arms extend, a hand lever, a linkconnecting it with the slidable bar, and a retaining pawl and ratchetmechanism whereby the bar or carriage may be adjusted to expand orcontract the cutting blades.

2. The combination in a weed cutter, of a main beam with bearing-wheel,fixed cutter and handles, horizontal rearwardly divergent cutting bladeshaving upwardly extending pins, said blades having their forward endsturned upwardly, arms or beams fulcrumed to the main beam at the front,and having divergent rear ends to which said beams the upward extensionsof the cutting blades are connected, a transverse bar slid able upon themain beam having antii'rio tion guides between which the divergent endsof the cutter carrying arms extend, and means by which the bar may bemoved forward or back upon the beam.

A weed cutter consisting'ot a main beam, hinged rearwardly divergentblades, divergent arms or beams to which said blades are connected, aslidable bar or carrier having antifrictional devices, between which therear ends of the cutter carrying arms extend, means by which the bar orcarrier is moved forward and back to adjust the width of the cutters, aconvergent shield inclosing the front of said operating mechanism, andmeans to regulate the depth of the cutter.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

A IARCELLUS PRUYN. VVitnesse's CHARLES A. PnNrmLo, CHARLES Eonmmx.

